A soldier's Christmas poem

<DIV align=center><FONT size=3><STRONG>Christmas Poem</STRONG><BR><BR>'Twas The
Night Before Christmas,<BR>He Lived All Alone,<BR>In A One Bedroom House<BR>Made
Of Plaster And Stone.<BR><BR>I Had Come Down The Chimney<BR>With Presents To
Give,<BR>And To See Just Who<BR>In This Home Did Live.<BR><BR>I Looked All
About,<BR>A Strange Sight I Did See,<BR>No Tinsel, No Presents,<BR>Not Even A
Tree.<BR><BR>No Stocking By Mantle,<BR>Just Boots Filled With Sand,<BR>On The
Wall Hung Pictures<BR>Of Far Distant Lands.<BR><BR>With Medals And
Badges,<BR>Awards Of All Kinds,<BR>A Sober Thought<BR>Came Through My
Mind.<BR><BR>For This House Was Different,<BR>It Was Dark And Dreary,<BR>I Found
The Home Of A Soldier,<BR>Once I Could See Clearly.<BR><BR>The Soldier Lay
Sleeping,<BR>Silent, Alone,<BR>Curled Up On The Floor<BR>In This One Bedroom
Home.<BR><BR>The Face Was So Gentle,<BR>The Room In Such Disorder,<BR>Not How I
Pictured<BR>A United States Soldier.<BR><BR>Was This The Hero<BR>Of Whom I'd
Just Read?<BR>Curled Up On A Poncho,<BR>The Floor For A Bed?<BR><BR>I Realized
The Families<BR>That I Saw This Night,<BR>Owed Their Lives To These
Soldiers<BR>Who Were Willing To Fight.<BR><BR>Soon Round The World,<BR>The
Children Would Play,<BR>And Grownups Would Celebrate<BR>A Bright Christmas
Day.<BR><BR>They All Enjoyed Freedom<BR>Each Month Of The Year,<BR>Because Of
The Soldiers,<BR>Like The One Lying Here.<BR><BR>I Couldn't Help Wonder<BR>How
Many Lay Alone,<BR>On A Cold Christmas Eve<BR>In A Land Far From
Home.<BR><BR>The Very Thought<BR>Brought A Tear To My Eye,<BR>I Dropped To My
Knees<BR>And Started To Cry.<BR><BR>The Soldier Awakened<BR>And I Heard A Rough
Voice,<BR>"Santa Don't Cry,<BR>This Life Is My Choice;<BR><BR>I Fight For
Freedom,<BR>I Don't Ask For More,<BR>My Life Is My God,<BR>My Country, My
Corps."<BR><BR>The Soldier Rolled Over<BR>And Drifted To Sleep,<BR>I Couldn't
Control It,<BR>I Continued To Weep.<BR><BR>I Kept Watch For Hours,<BR>So Silent
And Still<BR>And We Both Shivered<BR>From The Cold Night's Chill.<BR><BR>I
Didn't Want To Leave<BR>On That Cold, Dark, Night,<BR>This Guardian Of
Honor<BR>So Willing To Fight.<BR><BR>Then The Soldier Rolled Over,<BR>With A
Voice Soft And Pure,<BR>Whispered, "Carry On Santa,<BR>It's Christmas Day, All
Is Secure."<BR><BR>One Look At My Watch,<BR>And I Knew He Was Right.<BR>"Merry
Christmas My Friend,<BR>And To All A Good Night."<BR><BR>Army&nbsp; Navy&nbsp;
Air Force&nbsp; Marines&nbsp; Coast Guard<BR><BR>A Marine stationed in Okinawa
Japan wrote this poem. The following is<BR>his request.<BR>"PLEASE. Would you do
me the kind favor of sending this to as many<BR>people as you can? Christmas
will be coming soon and some credit is due<BR>to our U.S. service men and women
for our being able to celebrate these<BR>festivities.<BR><BR>Let's try in this
small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe.&nbsp; Make<BR>people stop and think
of our heroes, living and dead, who Sacrificed<BR>themselves for us.<BR>Please,
do your small part to plant this small seed."<BR><BR>I think his is more than
reasonable!!! If you agree Please Pass It<BR>On!!<BR></FONT></DIV></SPAN>
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